Everybody Dies: Game Roles Part One

Anyways, today I’m going to tell you a bit more about some of the roles within Everybody Dies – starting with the Noble characters, a.k.a. the Lords Paramount, their family, and the Lord Bannermen.

But first…

A Note on Roles and Casting

Firstly, all of this is subject to change. I have the full cast list (currently standing at 78 players, but this number may go up or down slightly as I make changes to the game over the next few months.

Secondly, much as I would love it, you can’t all be Tywin Lannister (imagine a room full of 78 Tywin Lannisters!!!). I will take character preference into account when casting, but at the end of the day the quality of the game overall is the most important thing. For this reason, the best thing you can send me is a description of the type of character you’d like to play – military, diplomat, isolationist, talky, thinky, shouty, honest, two-faced, etc. Please consider your own strengths as a player when you do this. If you haven’t played many roleplay games before, let me know what sort of personality you have, as the easiest way to ease into a Megagame is by playing yourself. Closer to the time I will be sending out a short form to confirm any important details.

I will also be asking what gender to cast you as – I would ideally like to avoid cross-casting as much as possible, and may change the genders of established characters or invent new ones to prevent this. Please note that, as a historical fantasy game, there are some restrictions on what certain characters can do. I have made a few changes to how this works (any gender can be a maester, for example). If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact me to let me know.

And finally, as we are massively overbooked I will be asking for payment before any teams or roles are revealed (so I can get the best casting based on who will definitely turn up, and minimise reshuffles). I’ll be in touch some time in September regarding that though, so you have a while to wait.

ANYWAY… on to the awesome stuff.

Noble Players

There are three types of Noble Players in the game:

Lords Paramount and their Family

Lord Bannermen

Small Councillors

Now, the Small Council are going to get a whole blog devoted to them later, so let’s leave them be for now. In the mean time, we’ll be focusing on the Lords.

Now, “The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros” is a bit of a misnomer. At the height of the Targaryens’ rule, there were actually nine regions within Westeros, each ruled by their own Lord Paramount. And within each region there are dozens of territories, ruled over by a bannerman. The most powerful bannermen in each region of Westeros are played characters, known as Lord Bannermen, and there will be about 3 in each region.

What do Noble Players do?

The heart of the Noble Players game is diplomacy. There is a pretty major conflict going on at the start of the game *coughMADKINGcough*, and it’s up to the players to resolve the political situation before it leads to, say, heads of houses being executed, noble daughters being kidnapped, cities being razed to the ground and anyone becoming a kinslayer. Wars are expensive and dangerous, no matter how glamorous they seem, and no matter how much glory you get from them.

On the other hand… you can get a LOT of glory from them. Noble players will be the main players taking action on the map (pretty much any noble player will be able to do so if they so choose… even if their ineptness on the field ends up getting everyone killed.

And at the same time, you’ll have concerns from your own region to worry about. Raising taxes and paying a portion to the crown; making sure your bannermen stay happy; making sure you as a bannerman stay high in prestige and favour; dealing with arising concerns such as destroyed septs and pirates and wildlings and famine and petty disputes… it’s a busy life to be a Lord.

And finally, the prestige of your house, your region and your own character is immensely important. Let the bards sing your name, let the smallfolk cheer when you pass (or cower, that’s your prerogative), and let the rest of Westeros wish they lived in your region.

Details, details

Want to know exactly who is being played? If you’re a tv/book nerd, I’m sure you do – so here they are, subject to change ofc:

North: Rickard Stark is the current Lord Paramount of the North. Brandon, his heir, is also being played. Younger siblings to Brandon – Eddard, Lyanna and Benjen – are not played at the start of the game. The Bannermen are planned to be Rickard Karstark, Galbart Glover and Wyman Manderley.

Iron Islands: Quellon Greyjoy of Pyke is the Lord Paramount of the Iron Islands – at this point a separate region and not part of the North. His heir Balon and potentially the younger brother, Euron, will be played. Other brothers Victarion and Aeron are not played at the start, nor are Rodrick, Maron, Asha and Theon (Balon’s children). Female characters Anya (Quellon’s wife) and Alannys (Balon’s wife) may be added. The played bannermen will be Rodrik Harlaw, Baelor Blacktyde and Alyn Orkwood.

Riverlands: Finally, a Lord Paramount from the books! A younger Lord Hoster Tully currently rules the Riverlands. His heir, Edmure, is quite young at this point, so the second player will either be Hoster’s brother, Brynden “the Blackfish”, or Catelyn (yes, that Catelyn). Little sister Lysa won’t be played either. Walter Whent, William Mooton and Walder Frey are likely to be the Lord Bannermen.

Vale: Remember that guy who died right at the start of the TV show? Jon Arryn is ruling over the Vale at the moment. Unfortunately his wife and son are dead, so the second player is actually his heir and nephew, Elbert. The Arryns are actually a reasonably big family at the moment (just not in the direct line from the Lord Paramount), so I won’t list everyone that isn’t played. Bannermen Yohn Royce, Anya Waynwood and Damon Shett should be played.

Stormlands: Before becoming king in the show, Robert Baratheon was Lord Paramount of the Stormlands (after daddy Steffon died not long ago). His younger brother Stannis is played, although Renly is not. Expect a played appearance from Selwyn Tarth, Lyonel Selmy and Jon Connington.

Reach: Lord Luthor Tyrell is currently ruling the Reach, and his wife Olenna will be played also, and probably also his heir Mace. Neither of Mace’s sisters, Mina and Janna, will be played, and nor will either of Mace’s tiny children, Willas or Garlan (Margaery and Loras are not born yet). Powerful Lords Leyton Hightower, Randyll Tarly and Paxter Redwyne will be the played Bannermen.

Dorne: Bannermen Anders Yronwood, Benedict Dayne and Deziel Dalt join Prince Doran Martell (a symbolic title only, Doran is no relation to the Iron Throne) as Lord Paramount of Dorne. Viper fans will be pleased to hear that Oberyn will also be a played character, though none of his Sand Snakes are old enough to be played, and neither is Doran’s daughter Arianne. Uncle Lewyn won’t be making an appearance at the start either.

Crownlands: The Crownlands are a bit of a special case. Their Lord Paramount is King Aerys, who is played by a member of the Control team. Their affairs are managed by the Small Council, rather than a single player. However, Dragonstone is managed separately, by the heir to the throne, Prince Rhaegar, who essentially acts as Lord Paramount for Dragonstone for the purposes of the game. No other Targaryens are played. Within the Crownlands themselves, Qarlton Chelsted (Master of Coin), Renfred Rykker and Tanda Stokeworth will be played, and on Dragonstone, Lucerys Velaryon (Master of Ships) and Adrian Celtigar.

Next Week

We’ll delve more into character roles – we still have the Small Council, Maesters, Religious Reps and Bards to come!